Language Proficiency and Linguistic Knowledge
Demonstrate proficiency in multiple languages and apply linguistic principles for effective communication and cultural understanding.
Skill demand · ONS UK online job adverts
How common is language proficiency and linguistic knowledge?
This requirement appears in 0.5% of UK new online job adverts in 2025. Its share rose by 0.4 percentage points compared with 2024.
The latest year is partial. Comparisons with full years need care. 2026 figures have not been published yet.Share of new adverts0.5%UK · 2025
Change in share+0.4 pp2024 to 2025
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What this skill category covers
Official detailed requirements in this ONS group
ONS Table 1 detailed requirements · SCO20.03. Shares can overlap because an advert may mention several requirements.
Roles that often need this skill category
Occupations where language proficiency and linguistic knowledge appears most often in UK new adverts
| # | Occupation | Share of occupation adverts | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Authors, writers and translators Example titles: Author · Lip reader · Book editor · Copy writer | 5.9% | |
| 2 | Early education and childcare services proprietors Example titles: Children's nursery owner · Children's nursery director · Owner · Director | 4.5% | |
| 3 | Clergy Example titles: Church leader · Lady superior · Church minister · Mother superior | 2.6% | |
| 4 | Sales supervisors - retail and wholesale Example titles: Sales supervisor · Shop walker · Team leader · Floor walker | 2.2% | |
| 5 | Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale Example titles: Retail shop owner · Art dealer · Car dealer · Car trader | 2.1% | |
| 6 | Business and related research professionals Example titles: Research worker · Crime analyst · Media analyst · UX researcher | 2.0% | |
| 7 | Data analysts Example titles: Data analyst · Mi analyst · Data officer · O&m analyst | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Bed and breakfast and guest house owners and proprietors Example titles: Guest house owner · Guest house keeper · Guest house manager · Hotelier | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Other researchers, unspecified discipline Example titles: Researcher · Research fellow · Research officer · Research assistant | 1.7% | |
| 10 | IT quality and testing professionals Example titles: Quality analyst · Test lead · IT auditor · Qa engineer | 1.5% |
How related skills compare
Skills within Languages and Linguistics
| # | Skill | Share of adverts | Change (pp) | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proficiency in Individual World Languages and Dialects Proficiency in Individual World Languages and Dialects | 12.5% | +2.9 pp | |
| 2 | Linguistics and Language Education Linguistics and Language Education | 1.3% | +0.4 pp | |
| 3 | Language Proficiency and Linguistic Knowledge Selected skill · Language Proficiency and Linguistic Knowledge | 0.5% | +0.4 pp | |
| 4 | Translation and Interpretation Skills Translation and Interpretation Skills | 0.1% | 0.0 pp | |
| 5 | Inflection in Linguistics Inflection in Linguistics | 0.0% | 0.0 pp | |
| 6 | Discourse Analysis Technique Skills Discourse Analysis Technique Skills | 0.0% | 0.0 pp | |
| 7 | Speech Analysis Software Speech Analysis Software | 0.0% | 0.0 pp | |
| 8 | Linguistic Design Feature Knowledge | 0.0% | 0.0 pp |
About these figures
How to interpret skill demand
Source: Office for National Statistics, UK online job adverts. Shares describe new adverts reporting the requirement. An advert may mention several skills, so their shares do not add up to 100%. A rise from 10% to 12% is an increase of 2 percentage points.
These figures do not establish a salary premium, proficiency level, or which skills are requested together. This page has no published skill-specific salary or location breakdown.
ONS · 2025 · partial year · 2026 figures have not been published yet. · Open Government Licence v3.0. ONS does not endorse Jobmundo.